There is a continuing need in the fluid flow arts, such as petroleum and chemical processing, power generation, aerospace and transportation, and the like, for reliable, continuous system operation. Shutting down systems or having systems break down are events which are expensive and even dangerous. Thus, these industries frequently rely on redundancy in their systems for minimum shutdown times and occurrences and for safety.
Many redundant systems exist for fluid flow. Most such systems require duplicate or triplicate fluid flow valves and conduit structures. While such systems may increase the reliability of continuing operation, they are excessively complicated, expensive, and must frequently be maintained by highly skilled personnel. Many such systems rely on components therein which are difficult to access and replace. Thus, maintenance may be deferred by the operators of such systems until redundancy is lost and an actual breakdown occurs.